Kuwait arrests 2 Iranians ahead of Shiite memorial

KUWAIT CITY – Authorities in Kuwait say two Iranians have been arrested after being seen photographing Shiite congregation halls ahead of a major religious ceremony.

Kuwait's Interior Ministry issued a statement late Thursday saying the two men took "suspicious photos" of the halls, also known as husseiniyahs. It said the two men entered Kuwait separately in the past two months.

It wasn't immediately clear if the men had lawyers.

Their arrests come ahead of next week's Shiite commemoration of Ashoura, which marks the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century.

Kuwaiti police have promised increased security ahead of Ashoura.

An Islamic State-claimed suicide bombing in 2015 targeting a Shiite mosque in Kuwait City killed 27 people and wounded scores.